Rotatable display device



2 SheetsSheet 1 Filed March 1, 1955 INVENTOR 'gpberf Km 62%,, W, m gum/7 4V yron ATTORNEYS May 13, 1958 R. KAYTON ROTATABLE DISPLAY DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 1, 1955 INVENTOR Robert Kclyron BY ATTORNEYS United States Patent ROTATABLE DISPLAY DEVICE Robert Kayton, Jackson Heights, N. Y., assignor to Robert Kayton Associates, Inc, a corporation of New York Application March '1, 1955, Serial No. 491,291

7 Claims. 01. 211-164) certain disadvantages in the use of all of these structures.

For example, in some a large amount of space is occupied for a relatively small amount of goods being displayed. Therefore counters or tables become cluttered, when a large amount of merchandise is to be displayed, which not only gives an unpleasing appearance to customers, but also results in goods being hidden, thereby making it extremely diflicult for a customer to select the particular type, brand, color, or size desired. My invention solves these problems inherent in the ordinary merchandise structures.

The object of my invention is to provide a merchandise display device, pleasing to the eye, which occupies a minimum of space and enables orderly and effective classification of goods such as fountain pens, toothbrushes,

and the like as to type, color, brand, or size.

My invention provides a merchandise display device comprising a supporting frame on which are mounted one or more carrier members spaced apart and rotatable about an axis. One or more merchandise holders adapted to hold articles of merchandise are rotatably mounted at or adjacent the periphery of the carrier member or members. Each merchandise holder is provided with a drivingly engageable surface. A stationary driving member is mounted on the supporting frame and positioned so that upon rotation of the carrier member or members, the aforementioned surface of each merchandise holder is successively brought into driving contact therewith whereby each merchandise holder isrotated.

An advantageous embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to the illustration thereof in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the display device;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation taken from the right of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the merchandise holders incorporated in the device.

In this embodiment of the invention a pair of spaced, parallel carrier plates 1 and 2 are employed. They are rotatably mounted on shafts 3 within a supporting frame 4. These carrier plates 1 and 2 are held apart by spacing bars 5 fastened to the carrier plates 2 and 3 by nuts 6.

A plurality of merchanidse holders 7 each rotatable on a shaft 8 are mounted at or adjacent the periphery of the carrier plates 1 and 2. Each merchandise holder 7 comprises side members 9 and 10 each having a plurality of oblate apertures 11. The side members 9 and 10 are held apart and rotatably relatively fixed with respect to "ice .2 each other by a rectangular spacing bar 12 and are positioned such that the apertures 11 of each are in longitudinal alignment. The shaft 8 passes longitudinally through the spacing bar 12 and the center of the side members 9 and 10. The peripheral edge of each side member 10 is adapted to engage a driving member 13 stationarily affixed to the supporting frame 4. A knob 14 is provided to rotate the carrier plates 1 and 2, or, a motor 15 mounted on the frame 4 behind an advertising shield 16, or at any other convenient place, may be used to serve that purpose. The handle 14 may well be placed on either side of the frame 4.

When this device is used in a retail store, merchandise, shown for example as a toothbrush package 17, is inserted in the apertures 11 of the merchandise holders 7. To facilitate ease of handling of the merchandise, the side members 9 and 10 are spaced so that the side member 9 is approximately half way between the carrier plates 1 and 2, thus the shaft 8 extends outwardly from the side member 9. The customer in order to see each item of merchandise turns the knob 14, which rotates the carrier plates 1 and 2 through their orbit thereby successively bringing the peripheral edge of the side member 10 of each merchandise holder 7 into contact with the driving member 13. The driving member 13 is an arcuate segment with a frictional engaging surface and is of such a length and positioned such that each merchandise holder 7 when brought into driving contact therewith is rotated completely through its orbit in view of the customer, thereby enabling the customer to choosethe particular item of merchandise desired. The length and position of the engaging member 13 is, of course, dependent upon the circumference of the side members 10. While I have used frictional engaging means to rotate the merchandise holders 7, it is understood that other types of engaging means could also be used.

While I have described a new and useful type of a rotating merchandise display device it is understood that the drawings and description, are to be interpreted in an illustrative rather than a limiting sense, since various modifications may be made within the spirit and scope of the invention defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A merchandise display device comprising a supporting frame; at least two parallel carrier members spaced apart and rotatably mounted on said supporting frame; means for rotating said carrier members; a plurality of merchandise holders rotatably mounted on shafts on said carrier members, each said merchandise holder comprising at least two parallel side members spaced apart and constructed to support articles of merchandise and having a drivingly engageable surface; and stationary means atfixed to said supporting frame and engageable with said drivingly engageable surfaces during rotation of said carrier members to effect rotation of said merchandise holders relative to said carrier members.

2. A merchandise display device comprising a supporting frame; at least two parallel carrier members spaced apart and rotatably mounted on said supporting frame; means for rotating said carrier members; a plurality of merchandise holders rotatably mounted on shafts on said carrier members, each said merchandise holder comprising at least two parallel side members spaced apart, a plurality of apertures in each said side member, and a drivingly engageable surface, the side members of each merchandise holder being positioned such that the apertures in one are in longitudinal alignment with the apertures in the other; and a stationary means atiixed to said supporting frame engageable with said drivingly engageable surfaces during rotation of said carrier members to effect rotation of said merchandise holders relative to said carrier members.

3. In a merchandise display device as described in claim 2 in which the drivingly engageable surface of each merchandise holder is a side member thereof.

4. A merchandise display device comprising a supporting frame, a carrier member rotatably mounted on said supporting frame, a plurality of merchandise holders rotatably mounted on shafts on said carrier member and arranged in a series about the axis of rotation of the carrier member, a driving member mounted on the supporting frame and having a stationary driving surface portion concentric with the axis of rotation of said carrier member, each of said merchandise holders having a peripheral surface directly engageable with said stationary driving surface upon rotation of the carrier member, whereby upon rotation of the carrier member the merchandise holders are caused to rotate relative to the carrier member.

5. A merchandise holder as set forth in claim 4' in which each merchandise holder includes spaced, substantially parallel circular side members, the side members have aligned apertures to receive articles to be displayed,

and the periphery of at least one of said side members forms the surface engageable with the stationary member.

6. A merchandise holder as set forth in claim 5 in which all of said merchandise holders rotate about axes equidistantly spaced from the axis of rotation of said carrier member.

7. A merchandise holder as set forth in claim 4 in which the stationary driving surface portion of the driving member is located within the series of merchandise holders.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 380,897 Jewell Apr. 10, 1888 1,611,155 Bisaillon Dec. 21, 1926 1,625,305 Forde Apr. 19, 1927 1,656,527 Messinger et a1. Ian. 17, 1928 1,695,618 Thompson Dec. 18, 1928 2,017,088 Bihler Oct. 15, 1935 2,332,845 Ducarpe Oct. 26, 1943 2,500,115 Burlin Mar. 7, 1950 2,507,641 Matter May 16, 1950 

